It is fair to say that Mousa Dembele has not always played to his full potential since his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur, but credit where it is due: In recent times, the Belgian international has been fantastic.

The match against Arsenal was no exception, with Dembele excelling in the number 10 role for Spurs and giving Christian Eriksen a run for his money.

Dembele had an 83 per cent passing accuracy against Arsenal – nine per cent better than his Danish teammate – while he played just one key pass less than Eriksen – a young man famed for such things.

Passing Accuracy

Key Passes

Shots

On-target Shooting Accuracy

Dribbles

Mins Played

Christian Eriksen

74%

5

3

0%

4

90

Mousa Dembélé

83%

4

1

100%

3

75

Despite Tottenham striker Harry Kane understandably stealing the headlines after his outstanding brace, the 2-1 victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s men was all about a collective effort.

Dembele rarely gets the wider plaudits but on Saturday he showed he can be every bit as effective behind the front-man as Eriksen has proved, and it will be interesting to see how Tottenham line up in the weeks and months ahead.

One thing is for sure: They have squad to challenge the very best in the Premier League, and that can only bode well for the future.

Vincent Ralph

After graduating with a degree in English Literature, Vincent completed a NCTJ-accredited qualification in newspaper and magazine journalism in 2005. Shortly after, in a somewhat leftfield move, he began working at a secondary school in Kent. After eight years – the last four of which were spent as Head of Sixth Form – he began to write full-time, combining his love of football with his passion for the written word.Alongside his work for HITC Sport, he also writes film reviews for HITC Lifestyle… along with the odd music interview when fate allows.